Election of Majid Mahindoost: Absolute Winning or Absolute Destruction?

A contemplation on Majid Mahindoost’s acting in the cinema movie: “Selfie with Democracy”

by Ardalan Mazaheri

Concurrent with the private preview of the cinema movie: “Selfie with Democracy” and releasing it to a group of media and cinema activists and the authorities of Farabi Cinema Foundation, we decided to write this article about Majid Mahindoost’s acting in this film and also to assess the acting nature of this newly-introduced and successful actor who has acted in various movies and series who is apparently and gradually being changed into the first young actor of the cinema.
We intend to describe the history of his acting who after acting in the cinema movie: “Paradise” in 2014, has tried to experience a romance in “Selfie with Democracy” that he might have thought it has been missed in his acting record and some colors of romance must be shown in the principles and instructions of his acting. It is definitely worth mentioning that his experiences have increased during this period and all of these events have caused his vision to change and his acting is now very good absolutely with this vision that is getting mature gradually.
It should be stated with no hesitation that Majid Mahindoost has helped either the work of Ali Atshani through acting in his movie or himself. Since after acting in some roles that were similar to each other as believed by some people, he acted in a different role this time to show and demonstrate a noticeable and distinguished role-playing of himself.
Election of Mahindoost in casting is seemed to be so risky for both the movie and the future of his own acting. Because high risks substantially have one of these two dimensions: Absolute Winning or Absolute Destruction.
As far as I believe as a cinema critic, his election was done very wisely so that eventually it led to a very good result for the movie. Certainly, an actor must actually love the screenplay and make a high emotional connection with the character so that he can blow his soul into it. Thus, he will be present at the workplace energetically with an exemplary fascination and he plays the role plan by plan to finally become the same impressive Mahindoost’s acting in this cinema movie. I even believe that a part of selecting him to act in this movie was because of his high level of intelligence and wisdom that can be found in him.
At the first glance, you could easily guess that the character was older than Majid for some years and to reach it even physically or his voice, the actor has to practice a lot and since Majid is so energetic and full of motivation, he founded this filed really appropriate to show his capabilities.
Definitely, an actor cannot act in a movie, series and or theatre being this much strong, capable and disciplined, unless he will be so companion. A very good characteristic of Majid Mahindoost as cited by some directors is that despite his high level of overcautiousness and sensitivity, he trust you from the beginning and this helps both parties very much. Either the actor or the director.
In other words, he (Mahindoost) certainly believes that an actor who cannot trust his director, hurts himself firstly and the whole work secondly. Of course the actor shall be entitled and the sequence shall be solely entrusted to him at times that is a different topic. But eventually I believe that trusting the director can reach the result of a work to its climax and Majid Mahindoost has undoubtedly trusted the director and project in this manner.
Director of the movie stated in an interview that: “We had a lot of practice sessions with Mahindoost for this role. He went to a sport club and gained weight. He practiced on his voice to make it deeper (bass), so he can get closer to the role or character”. Despite the difficult conditions of cinematography, he was very inexhaustible and tireless and companioned us until the last moment. Fortunately, the result of work is now acceptable.
Of course, I should mention that acting and role-playing of this young actor -who seems to have a bright future- in the cinema movie: “Katyusha” was also an outstanding event. An artistic show with a new innovation in the field of acting that unfortunately, despite everyone’s expectation was faced with the unkindness of the jury of the 38th Fajr Film Festival and they were only satisfied to nominate him as the supporting male actor candidate to receive Simorgh Reward.
Any actor or actress will be addressed with this judgement that: “You are just repeating yourself”. The main fact is that a part of this comes back to the suggested roles. If repeated similar roles are always suggested to an actor or actress, this boring repetition will happen while the actor or actress is not so much to blame. However, Majid Mahindoost and the roles he has played up to now have been undoubtedly excluded from this sort of repetition. Thus, it was a ridiculous excuse to deprive him from receiving that significant acting reward.
The screenplay of Katyusha (movie) prepared an appropriate material for characterization of the role Mahindoost was going to play in it. The actor (Mahindoost) also performed very accurately and delicately himself to show the gray image of a young psychotic man with corrupted behavior. A lovely anti-hero who had to continue an internal and external conflict and finally put an end to it.
Any single motion of Majid Mahindoost in Katyusha were pre-designed and pre-analyzed just like his actings at other cinema movies such as “Kooseh (Shark)” and “Along City” and we can watch a great role played by him. Maybe one of his most memorable role-playings. A very intensely controlled acting that remarkably helped the movie’s advancement.
All the behaviors of an annoying and intruder young man in his other film, “Selfie with Democracy” show an unstable human being in the service of a society that has fallen morally from long time ago. However, the character was a young man full of complexes and hatred. A black and white man inside an inhuman structure. A man who is a combination of good and evil.
Finally, we come to this conclusion that the lack of some actors such as Majid Mahindoost who have set foot on this path with knowledge and thought is completely felt in the national cinema of Iran at the present time. Actors for whom the bright horizons can be easily seen and they can figure out these horizons both for themselves and the perspective of the Iranian Cinema.

Authored By: Ardalan Mazaheri – November 8, 2020